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The Chronicle
WEDNESDAY. APRIL 15. 1987 '
DUKE UNIVERSITY DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
CIRCULATION: 15,000 VOL. 82, NO, 137
Jury finds Duke negligent,
awards ex-student $28,588
By LAURA TRIVERS
The University was found negligent
Friday in a suit filed in 1984 by a former
student who was blinded in one eye after
a 1981 accident. A jury awarded Robert
Harris of Dix Hills, N.Y. $28,588 in
damages for injuries sustained in the accident.
Harris was injured when he approached the rear door of the Kappa
Sigma fraternity section. The door contained a broken glass pane which broke
again when Harris'companion touched it
from the inside, A glass fragment entered
Harris' eye causing the loss of sight.
The type of glass was "inappropriate
and unsafe for use in a door or window
which would be in close proximity to
people," according to the suit, which
sought compensation for medicai expense,
psychological -hardship and barriers to
graduation, in addition to the sight loss.
The type glass in University doors and
windows in 1981 was in compliance with
building codes, Norman Bedell, physical
plant director, told The Chronicle in 1984,
As the glass in windows and doors breaks,
it is replaced with safety glass, according
to Larry Blake, safety manager for Public
Safety. The University is not required to
replace the glass on campus with safety
glass, he said.
Safety glass is specially treated with
wire to make it shatter completely on impact, like a car windshield, instead of
breaking into many pieces, according to
Harold Tinsley, manager of maintenance
and renovations.
The lawsuit, originally filed in Oct.
1984 for $750,000, went to the jury for a
maximum of $580,000, according to Jeffrey Potter, assistant University counsel.
The difference between the compensation requested by the plaintiff and the
amount awarded is likely due to several
factors, including the initial injury to the
eve, an unrelated reinjury and "the difficulty in placing a monetary value on
eyesight," according to Harris's attorney
George Kelly, a 1978 Trinity graduate
now residing in Raleigh.
The statute of limitations for filing such
a case is three years, Kelly said. Passage
of an extended lapse of time before charges are brought is not unusual, he added,
since a great deal of legal and medical
research must be done.
Because of the injury, Harris did not
graduate with his class, according to Kelly. The University has no record of Har-
ris'graduation.
The Harris family declined to comment
on the suit Tuesday.
if
: I
i
V 1
3NCHIE/THE CHRONICLE
It takes a Duke student
It's lucky for this sign's designer that the SAT's are multiple choice. Otherwise, he probably would have ended up going to colliege in Datona.
Soviets offer to rid Europe of missiles
By DAVID SHIPLER
N.Y Times News Service
Mikhail Gorbachev Tuesday proposed eliminating all
short-range nuclear missiles from Europe along with
medium-range missiles, the Soviet press agency Tass
said.
But in a sharply worded account, the agency said Secretary of State George Shultz had not accepted the offer,
apparently because of objections from the Western European allies.
The rather harsh Soviet description of the talks
seemed aimed at putting the onus on the United States
for the continuing disagreements over some key arms
control issues. The latest round of talks conclude on
Wednesday with a final meeting between Shultz and
Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze.
"What are you afraid of?" Tass quoted Gorbachev as
having asked Shultz. "After all, we are for a reliable
agreement with the strictest and most comprehensive
verification."
At another point, Tass said, Gorbachev asked: "What
did Shultz bring? Is the administration really ready to
do something in the time that remains?"
Shultz began the meeting by delivering a renewed invitation from President Reagan to Gorbachev to visit the
United States, but the Soviet leader indicated that he
would like to have an arms agreement ready to sign
before making the trip.
An American official said later that the summit meeting "was not a central issue in the discussions."
Charles Redman, the State Department spokesman,
refused to give details ofthe content ofthe negotiations.
Virtually all the information came from the Soviet press
agency.
fin Santa Barbara, a senior White House official said
Weather
The USUal: For all the prospective freshmen arriving on campus today, it always rains like this in
Durham. Showers and thunderstorms will continue
through 1991. High today in the mid 60s, low tonight
in the lower 50s.
Mikhail Gorbachev
that the administration had serious concerns about
eliminating shorter-range nuclear weapons at a time
that the Soviet Union had a sizable advantage in conventional forces. He said Shultz had made that point
clear in his talks with Gorbachev.]
Tass said the discussion on arms control between Gorbachev and Shultz, which lasted four and a half hours,
"has borne out that the U.S. leadership is virtually unprepared to act vigorously, to go its part ofthe way."
Gorbachev also offered a concession on the testing of a
space-oriented missile defense system, Tass said. It
quoted him as having said that "research restricted to
the laboratory" would be acceptable and as having
proposed a relatively broad definition of laboratory as
"research work on the ground — in institutes, at proving
grounds, at plants."
Bylaw examination
voids UJB election
By SHANNON MULLEN
Because of an election oversight, members of the
Undergraduate Judicial Board will vote again today
to select next year's vice chair.
A week ago today, the board elected Trinity junior
James Johnson to the post. But on Monday an examination of UJB election laws by Paul Bumbalough,
assistant to the dean for student life, at the urging of
William Griffith, vice president for student affairs,
revealed that the vice chair must receive a majority of
the votes to win the election. Johnson did not. He
received two more votes than the other three candidates, who were in a three-way tie for second place.
As a result UJB officials decided Tuesday to hold
another election.
Current UJB chair Chip Peake and Suzanne
Wasiolek, dean for student life, blamed the oversight
on the fact that a UJB post has not been contested by
more than one person in several years. "It's really the
first time that 1 can recall that we've had more than
two people run for any (UJB] office," said Wasiolek,
who has been connected to the board since 1979. She
said the oversight was "due to a lack of experience
with that particular situation,"
"There was no intention to slight any of the other
candidates," said Peake. "IThe oversight] just wasn't
realized." When asked whose responsibility it is to
make sure the elections are conducted properly,
Peake said, "It's kind of a group effort. I don't think
any one person can be labelled as responsible."
Peake said he thought the same candidates would
run again for vice chair, and added that other members of the board could enter the race now. Trinity
juniors Thomas Fox and Jacqueline Demby, who ran
for vice chair last week, had not decided Tuesday
night if they would run today. The other candidate,
Mark Ervin, would not comment.
Peake said the recent publicity about the election of
two Kappa Sigma fraternity members as UJB chair
and vice chair for the second consecutive year did not
See UJB on page 7

The Chronicle
WEDNESDAY. APRIL 15. 1987 '
DUKE UNIVERSITY DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
CIRCULATION: 15,000 VOL. 82, NO, 137
Jury finds Duke negligent,
awards ex-student $28,588
By LAURA TRIVERS
The University was found negligent
Friday in a suit filed in 1984 by a former
student who was blinded in one eye after
a 1981 accident. A jury awarded Robert
Harris of Dix Hills, N.Y. $28,588 in
damages for injuries sustained in the accident.
Harris was injured when he approached the rear door of the Kappa
Sigma fraternity section. The door contained a broken glass pane which broke
again when Harris'companion touched it
from the inside, A glass fragment entered
Harris' eye causing the loss of sight.
The type of glass was "inappropriate
and unsafe for use in a door or window
which would be in close proximity to
people," according to the suit, which
sought compensation for medicai expense,
psychological -hardship and barriers to
graduation, in addition to the sight loss.
The type glass in University doors and
windows in 1981 was in compliance with
building codes, Norman Bedell, physical
plant director, told The Chronicle in 1984,
As the glass in windows and doors breaks,
it is replaced with safety glass, according
to Larry Blake, safety manager for Public
Safety. The University is not required to
replace the glass on campus with safety
glass, he said.
Safety glass is specially treated with
wire to make it shatter completely on impact, like a car windshield, instead of
breaking into many pieces, according to
Harold Tinsley, manager of maintenance
and renovations.
The lawsuit, originally filed in Oct.
1984 for $750,000, went to the jury for a
maximum of $580,000, according to Jeffrey Potter, assistant University counsel.
The difference between the compensation requested by the plaintiff and the
amount awarded is likely due to several
factors, including the initial injury to the
eve, an unrelated reinjury and "the difficulty in placing a monetary value on
eyesight," according to Harris's attorney
George Kelly, a 1978 Trinity graduate
now residing in Raleigh.
The statute of limitations for filing such
a case is three years, Kelly said. Passage
of an extended lapse of time before charges are brought is not unusual, he added,
since a great deal of legal and medical
research must be done.
Because of the injury, Harris did not
graduate with his class, according to Kelly. The University has no record of Har-
ris'graduation.
The Harris family declined to comment
on the suit Tuesday.
if
: I
i
V 1
3NCHIE/THE CHRONICLE
It takes a Duke student
It's lucky for this sign's designer that the SAT's are multiple choice. Otherwise, he probably would have ended up going to colliege in Datona.
Soviets offer to rid Europe of missiles
By DAVID SHIPLER
N.Y Times News Service
Mikhail Gorbachev Tuesday proposed eliminating all
short-range nuclear missiles from Europe along with
medium-range missiles, the Soviet press agency Tass
said.
But in a sharply worded account, the agency said Secretary of State George Shultz had not accepted the offer,
apparently because of objections from the Western European allies.
The rather harsh Soviet description of the talks
seemed aimed at putting the onus on the United States
for the continuing disagreements over some key arms
control issues. The latest round of talks conclude on
Wednesday with a final meeting between Shultz and
Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze.
"What are you afraid of?" Tass quoted Gorbachev as
having asked Shultz. "After all, we are for a reliable
agreement with the strictest and most comprehensive
verification."
At another point, Tass said, Gorbachev asked: "What
did Shultz bring? Is the administration really ready to
do something in the time that remains?"
Shultz began the meeting by delivering a renewed invitation from President Reagan to Gorbachev to visit the
United States, but the Soviet leader indicated that he
would like to have an arms agreement ready to sign
before making the trip.
An American official said later that the summit meeting "was not a central issue in the discussions."
Charles Redman, the State Department spokesman,
refused to give details ofthe content ofthe negotiations.
Virtually all the information came from the Soviet press
agency.
fin Santa Barbara, a senior White House official said
Weather
The USUal: For all the prospective freshmen arriving on campus today, it always rains like this in
Durham. Showers and thunderstorms will continue
through 1991. High today in the mid 60s, low tonight
in the lower 50s.
Mikhail Gorbachev
that the administration had serious concerns about
eliminating shorter-range nuclear weapons at a time
that the Soviet Union had a sizable advantage in conventional forces. He said Shultz had made that point
clear in his talks with Gorbachev.]
Tass said the discussion on arms control between Gorbachev and Shultz, which lasted four and a half hours,
"has borne out that the U.S. leadership is virtually unprepared to act vigorously, to go its part ofthe way."
Gorbachev also offered a concession on the testing of a
space-oriented missile defense system, Tass said. It
quoted him as having said that "research restricted to
the laboratory" would be acceptable and as having
proposed a relatively broad definition of laboratory as
"research work on the ground — in institutes, at proving
grounds, at plants."
Bylaw examination
voids UJB election
By SHANNON MULLEN
Because of an election oversight, members of the
Undergraduate Judicial Board will vote again today
to select next year's vice chair.
A week ago today, the board elected Trinity junior
James Johnson to the post. But on Monday an examination of UJB election laws by Paul Bumbalough,
assistant to the dean for student life, at the urging of
William Griffith, vice president for student affairs,
revealed that the vice chair must receive a majority of
the votes to win the election. Johnson did not. He
received two more votes than the other three candidates, who were in a three-way tie for second place.
As a result UJB officials decided Tuesday to hold
another election.
Current UJB chair Chip Peake and Suzanne
Wasiolek, dean for student life, blamed the oversight
on the fact that a UJB post has not been contested by
more than one person in several years. "It's really the
first time that 1 can recall that we've had more than
two people run for any (UJB] office," said Wasiolek,
who has been connected to the board since 1979. She
said the oversight was "due to a lack of experience
with that particular situation,"
"There was no intention to slight any of the other
candidates," said Peake. "IThe oversight] just wasn't
realized." When asked whose responsibility it is to
make sure the elections are conducted properly,
Peake said, "It's kind of a group effort. I don't think
any one person can be labelled as responsible."
Peake said he thought the same candidates would
run again for vice chair, and added that other members of the board could enter the race now. Trinity
juniors Thomas Fox and Jacqueline Demby, who ran
for vice chair last week, had not decided Tuesday
night if they would run today. The other candidate,
Mark Ervin, would not comment.
Peake said the recent publicity about the election of
two Kappa Sigma fraternity members as UJB chair
and vice chair for the second consecutive year did not
See UJB on page 7